I-KANDY TATTOO & PIERCING

In late October, a post made its way onto the internet, claiming that daith piercings relieve migraines. As is the nature of social media, the post went viral, and immediately, Twitter users began sharing their stories.

This caught the attention of medical professionals, who had some very mixed messages in response. Some claimed that acupuncturists had possessed this knowledge for centuries, and had long been targeting the daith in sessions for migraine and headache sufferers. Others were far more skeptical, warning that there was no scientific evidence that a piercing could have any long term effect on one's health and wellness. And we in the body mod industry were caught in the middle, fielding hundreds of phone calls and emails all asking the same question: does it really work?

We don't know. That's the most honest answer anyone – piercers, doctors, acupuncturists, and bloggers – can offer. We just don't know. To date, no actual scientific studies have been done, and it seems too soon to tell whether clients have had any long-term success. For our part, we've been asking that clients come back and let us know whether they've seen any changes in the intensity and frequency of their migraines and headaches, and we intend to post feedback as it comes in.

At this point, all we can tell you is this: best-case scenario, clients will report success, and this will hopefully lead to professional, academic studies being done, and a fairly inexpensive treatment for migraines and severe headaches. Worst-case scenario, it doesn't work, and you end up with an attractive new piercing. Our clients have been wonderfully receptive to that news, and seem prepared for either result, but we are all, of course, hoping for the former. Migraines are a horrible thing to cope with, and we would love to have stumbled upon a solution. ​